EICR for Landlords in West Malling, Kent

Landlord EICRs in West Malling are handled out of our Rochester workshop, covering all of Tonbridge and Malling and the surrounding villages. Since June 2020 every privately rented property in England has needed a satisfactory Electrical Installation Condition Report at least every five years, with reports issued in a format that Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council accepts on request. Same-week appointments are typical and the written PDF lands with you within 48 hours of the test.

What an EICR involves for Landlord

A landlord EICR is the formal evidence that the fixed wiring in your rented West Malling property meets BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 — the 18th Edition Wiring Regulations, Amendment 2. The inspection is part visual and part instrumented. We open up the consumer unit, examine accessories on every floor, walk the supply route, and check earthing and bonding. Then we test every circuit — dead testing for continuity, insulation resistance, and polarity, then live testing for earth fault loop impedance and RCD operation. The output is a written report with observation codes against any findings: C1 for danger present, C2 for potentially dangerous, C3 for improvement recommended, and FI where further investigation is needed. A satisfactory report has no C1, C2, or FI observations.

When you need this in West Malling

The 2020 regulations are the headline trigger but not the only one. Most West Malling landlords we work with book an EICR for one of these reasons: - The previous certificate is approaching its five-year expiry - A new tenant is moving in and you need a current report before they take occupation - The property has changed hands and the previous owner’s certificate hasn’t transferred cleanly - Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has written asking for a copy and you don’t have one on file - A tenant has reported flickering lights, repeated tripping, or a warm socket - You’re moving from a rolling AST to a new fixed-term tenancy and want a clean compliance footprint

What the report contains

A complete landlord EICR has more than one page. The full deliverable is the EICR form itself with the inspection date, the inspector’s qualifications, the property address, observation codes against any findings, and the overall pass-or-fail outcome. Alongside that sits the schedule of inspection (what was checked, what could not be) and the schedule of test results (per-circuit numbers for continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance, and RCD operating times). Where the report comes back unsatisfactory, the 2020 regulations require the remedial work to be completed within 28 days — sooner if the inspector specifies. Once it’s done, a re-test confirms the affected circuits are satisfactory and a fresh report is issued.

Why book CJA Electrical for your West Malling EICR

What landlords look for in an EICR partner is predictable: someone who’ll show up when they say, who knows the regulations, and who’ll write a report that Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council accepts without fuss. CJA Electrical does all three. City & Guilds 2391 qualified inspector, ten years on Tonbridge and Malling property, same-week appointments, and reports in the format every council, agent, and PRS Database expects. For agents managing portfolios in West Malling, we batch bookings on the same day or week to keep travel costs down — useful when several properties are coming due at once.

How the inspection runs

The booking is built to minimise tenant disruption. 1. Phone, WhatsApp, or email with the property address and circuit count 2. Same-day quote with appointment options 3. Tenant access arranged via your letting agent or directly with the tenant 4. On-site inspection and testing — power off briefly on each circuit in turn 5. Written report (PDF) supplied within 48 hours, sent direct to you and to your agent 6. If unsatisfactory, remedial work quoted separately; re-test included once complete Most West Malling landlord EICRs are wrapped up well inside the five-day window of a typical void-week schedule.

What affects the price

We don’t publish a price list because the variables genuinely matter — circuit count, consumer unit type, accessibility, and the property’s age all shift the quote. West Malling stock varies, so a small terrace and a four-bed semi in the same postcode can be quite different jobs. Same-day fixed quote, no deposit on standard work, payment on certificate by card, transfer, or cash.

FAQs

Do I need a new EICR between tenancies if the last one is in date?

You need to provide the new tenant with a copy of the current satisfactory report before they move in. You don’t need a fresh inspection if the existing certificate is still in its five-year window and the property hasn’t been altered since. If there’s been remedial work, a new circuit added, or a consumer unit swap, a fresh report is the safer answer.

How quickly do my West Malling tenants need a copy of the report?

Existing tenants receive a copy within 28 days of the inspection. New tenants receive the report before they take occupation of the property. We can email the PDF direct to your tenant or to your letting agent for onward distribution.

Will the EICR cause much disruption for my tenant?

Less than people often expect. Most three-bed homes are tested in a morning or an afternoon. Power is off only briefly on each circuit in turn rather than for the whole visit, so a tenant working from home can usually carry on with most of their day. We confirm a slot in advance and give the tenant a clear picture of what to expect.

What happens if my West Malling rental fails the EICR?

A failed EICR isn’t a disaster — it just means there’s at least one C1, C2, or FI observation. The report lists each item with its code. CJA Electrical can quote separately for the remedial work, and once it’s done a re-test confirms the installation is satisfactory and a fresh report is issued. The regulations require this within 28 days of the inspection.

Do I have to use the same electrician for the EICR and any remedial work?

No. The 2020 regulations require the remedial work to be done by a qualified and competent person and confirmed in writing — but they don’t require the same electrician. Most landlords have the original inspector do the remedials for the simpler audit trail and faster re-test, but you’re free to instruct anyone qualified.

Can I do remedial work myself if I’m a competent person?

If you hold the relevant qualifications and the work falls within your competence, technically yes. The 2020 regulations require written confirmation of the remedial work from a qualified and competent person, which can be the landlord if appropriately qualified. Most landlords have us do it for the speed and audit trail.

Does the report need to be in a specific format?

The 2020 regulations don’t mandate a single format, but the standard EICR form is universally accepted by councils, letting agents, the Private Rented Sector Database, and insurers. Reports issued in non-standard formats can lead to pushback from Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council or your agent — so the standard form is what we use.